


For Doctor Morgan

by Cumberbatch Critter (ivelostmyspectacles)



Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: Aww, Caring Everybody, Coping, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Related, Everyone wants to take care of Henry, Gen, Good Friends, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2014-12-12
Packaged: 2018-03-01 03:49:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2758496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivelostmyspectacles/pseuds/Cumberbatch%20Critter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone just wants to make Henry feel better.</p><p> </p><p>  <b>Post Skinny Dipper.</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	For Doctor Morgan

**Author's Note:**

> Actually, I saw something on Tumblr that prompted this, buuutttt it was in the middle of a buncha reblogs and retags so I don't actually know where it originally came from, so the idea was actually inspired by the amalgamation from tags and reblogs from Forever stuff. ^^' (I'm legit new to Tumblr and therefore, Tumblr stupid. Forgive me.)
> 
> I do not own _Forever_. Thanks for reading!

"Detective." Henry glanced up from jotting down the COD on the latest autopsy. "I'm sorry, do we have a homicide? I hadn't heard." He frowned.

Jo shook her head. "No, nothing like that. I just came by to say hey." She glanced between him and the slightly chilled corpse on the table. "What's this one?"

"Oh, he drank himself to death." Henry followed her gaze. "Financial problems, recent divorce..."

"Huh." Jo looked away from the corpse and back at Henry. "Actually, Henry, what are you doing here?"

Henry paused. "What do you mean?" he asked, pulling his gloves off. "There's always an autopsy to perform somewhere."

"I thought Reece told you to take the week off."

"Ah... that."

Reece had told him to take the rest of the week off; Henry could still remember the conversation yesterday as though it were happening in front of him.

_"Doctor Morgan?"_

_Henry glanced up, looking across the room towards Reece. "Good morning."_

_"Could I see you a moment, please? In my office."_

_Henry slowed, eyebrows furrowing as were problem countless other's eyebrows, given the most memorable meetings with Reece in the past couple of days, before turning to follow her into the office. "I can assure you, I haven't gone skinny dipping again. I bought new pyjamas, in fact," he said with a raised eyebrow (even though he hadn't and wouldn't)._

_"No, Doctor Morgan, this isn't about your... sleeping problems," Reece said. "I heard about your eventful evening yesterday."_

_Henry froze on the periphery of a breath and then let it out slowly, forcing a smile. "Yes."_

_Reece regarded him for a moment. Henry was prepared for her to say_ well done _and then release him to his work. At least, that's what he was hoping for. Conversations that took place in Reece's office never seemed to bring good news._

_"Are you alright?"_

_Henry blinked at the question. He hadn't expected anything of the sort, honestly. "I'm perfectly fine, just a few bruises..." he trailed off as the look he received spoke that that wasn't the type of alright that she had been talking about. He dropped his gaze._

_"Take the rest of the week off, Doctor Morgan."_

_He looked up quickly. "No, I can assure you, that really won't be necessary. I'm in perfect health, I can still-"_

_"Doctor Morgan," Reece interrupted. "Take the week off. Do yourself a favour."_

_And then she had gestured him out of her office, leaving him torn between pain and comfort, and the overwhelming need to be in his lab, surrounded by his things._

"I just want to work," Henry admitted, turning away from Jo and the body on the table. "There's no need for me to stay at home when there's work here to be done. Besides, I can't leave all of this to Lucas, it would hardly be fair."

He picked up his report and smiled at her weakly. "Maybe keep it between us. I've been avoiding making my presence known," he said, and headed back towards his office.

"Henry."

Henry glanced over his shoulder.

"Take it easy, alright?" Jo said quietly.

Henry met her gaze for a moment before nodding. "Always, Detective."

　

 

Jo rounded the corner of the morgue in time to see Lucas spreading a blanket over Henry's shoulders. The ME was fast asleep, his arms on the desk and his head pillowed on them, still draped with his lab coat and dark shadows under his eyes.

Lucas exited Henry's office, jolting slightly as he nearly walked into Jo. "Detective Martinez! He's just, uh, he's..."

"... Asleep," Jo finished, looking back at Henry.

Lucas sighed heavily. "... Yeah. He went back there to do some paperwork earlier and I wasn't paying any attention, but then I was going to ask for an opinion on one of our bodies, but I found him asleep and... well, it's cold down here."

Jo echoed the sigh.

"I can wake him up, if you need him?"

"No. No, it's not important," she replied instantly.

Lucas followed her gaze through the glass. "I'm worried about him."

Jo glanced at Lucas.

"I mean, when he's here, he doesn't seem like he's _here_ , you know? And everyone makes mistakes but he's missing these little tiny things that he would normally never miss out on."

"I know." Jo looked back at their ME. "He's had a rough week."

Henry shifted slightly in his unconsciousness. There was a gleam of gold beneath his fingers that caught in the sunlight and momentarily blinded Jo before she realized it was his pocket watch.

She sighed again and rubbed her forehead. What a mess.

　

 

"Come to the office party."

Hanson fidgeted under Henry's sudden, intense, gaze.

"Pardon me?" Henry asked politely, fingers stilling on his coat.

"It's just," Hanson wanted to look anywhere except Henry. Since when was asking a dude to an office party have to be so awkward? "We have an office party, a Christmas one, here. You should come. It's... fun."

Henry resumed pulling his coat on, eyebrows raised. "Forgive me, but your tone makes it sound as though it is, in fact, not fun."

Hanson sighed. "Look, Doc, just come to the party. Have some cake and nog. It's gotta be better than doing nothing for Christmas."

Henry slipped his hands into his pockets. "Well. I'll check my schedule," he said. How much could this guy have to do in his down time? "What day is it?"

"The twentieth," Hanson replied. "At seven."

Henry smiled; it was fake, even Hanson could see that. "The twentieth at seven," he repeated. "Thank you, Detective. Goodnight."

Hanson's shoulders slumped when Henry had gone. How much of a chore did this have to be?

"Thank you."

Hanson looked up as Jo came around the corner. "He probably won't show."

"He definitely wouldn't without an invite." Jo stopped next to him, looking at the door. "He's not the type to gate-crash."

"He's not the type for a Christmas office party, either, but," Hanson blew out of a breath, "he's had it rough. I thought he could do with something cheery. Or something meant to be cheerful, but I swear, if Janice brings in another one of her fruitcakes-"

Jo laughed to herself.

 

 

 

> I'm sorry, I won't make the  
>  _Christmas party. Give my_  
>  _regards to Hanson for the_  
>  _invite. Merry Christmas, Jo._
> 
> _Henry_

The text came from an unknown number, although Jo suspected it was probably a cell phone that Abe owned. She was tempted to text him back to ask just what he was doing that he was cancelling last minute, but she didn't.

Instead, she sighed and shoved her phone back in her pocket. She picked up her paper cup of non-alcoholic eggnog and wondered if the night could get worse. It wasn't as though she needed Henry there, but the hope that he would come out of his shell long enough to celebrate - if only briefly - had kept her head up.

"Henry said thanks for the invite," she said, leaning over to Hanson.

"He's not coming, huh?"

She shook her head. "Nope."

"Well, it was a long shot."

"Yep." She drank the last of the eggnog and tossed the trash. "I'm heading out. Have a Merry Christmas."

"You're going to his place, aren't you?" Hanson asked.

"Yep."

She grabbed her coat and strode determinedly for the door.

 

"Detective Martinez," Abe greeted after he had unlocked the front door. "Didn't you get Henry's text? He did manage to send it, didn't he? He's never texted before."

Jo nodded. "Yeah, but he didn't say why. I thought I'd stop by and make sure everything was okay..."

She trailed off as a series of harsh sounding coughs broke the otherwise silence around the antiques shop.

Abe raised his eyebrows. "He's gotten himself sick. I _told_ him to say that, it just seems like he's skipping on the party otherwise. He was planning on coming. I was going to make him," he added, dropping his voice.

The coughing continued for a moment before falling silent. "Abe-" A weary looking Henry peeked around the corner, eyes red, cheeks flushed, blankets piled around his shoulders. "Who was, oh. Jo," he whispered, eyebrows drawing together. "I sent a text... I think." His voice was hoarse; Jo could barely hear him.

"Yeah, I just wanted to make sure everything was all right. You look horrible, Henry, you should be in bed."

Henry smiled waveringly. "Now you sound like Ab-" He started coughing again and held up a shaking hand before vanishing back out of the room.

Jo looked at Abe.

"He really is the worst patient," Abe said. "I'm going to have to drug him or something, he won't go to bed."

Jo looked back at the doorway where Henry had vanished. She had to stop herself from wincing at the deep-sounding cough that Henry had. She looked back at Abe, and then reached for the buttons on her coat. "Well. We'll see about that."

"Detective?" Abe inquired.

"Please, call me Jo." She hung her coat up. "I think, between the both of us, we might be able to get him into bed and get him feeling better, right?"

Abe regarded her for a moment - and sometimes, Jo thought, it was eerie how similar Abe and Henry were in their soul-searching gazes, it had to be a learned habit - before he nodded. "Well, God knows I need all the help I can get with him." He held up his hands.

Jo chuckled and followed Abe through the shop. This wasn't the best way to spend her early-Christmas, but it was better than the office party.

And no amount of _"No, Jo, really, I'm fine, I don't want to-_ coughing fit _"_ (which started to sound suspiciously close to a _whine_ from Henry Morgan himself) was going to sway her.

She was determined.

Besides, she was fairly sure that Doctor Morgan needed a hand now and again, anyway, even though he would rather die than admit it.

 

**Author's Note:**

> The sad thing is now I want to actually write a sickfic but I hate bombarding the fandom like this x'D


End file.
